We are fortunate to see many of these reels through the shop.  Most are used for trolling for salmon in the Pacific Northwest in the saltwater.  The the 600 series seems to be the right line capacity for the fishing application.  Some are line counters some are not.  These are great reels for this application as they have strong smooth drags, level wind mechanisms that wear well and comfortable off set handles with big knobs.

As with any reel used on the saltwater, these too are prone to failure if not properly rinsed after every outing.  Two areas of concern that need special attention are often overlooked.  The first is where the handle connects to the drag sleeve.  This area corrodes easily and locks the handle onto the drag sleeve and prevents servicing the rest of the reel.  To prevent this I over apply heavy marine grease to ensure no intrusion.  The second area is directly under the drag star.  There isa ball bearing that guides the drag sleeve and is only protected by a thin plastic shield.  Most of the time, if the handle is corroded and the sleeve bearing is rusted out, than the anti reverse bearing is also shot.

All said and done, that adds around $30.00 to every service on these reels.  Of course, with a little pre-fishing service, much of that can be eliminated.  Pictured below is what I see the most.  Salt crystals and sand corrode the handle to the drag sleeve.  Torch and penetrating oil and a little patience works well to remove handle.  I have had some that took two days of repeated heating, freezing and penetrating oil to loosen.

After you get that mess off.  Clean the threads of the drag sleeve well with a wire brush and remove the drag star.  You will notice a hole in the top of the drag sleeve.  It serves this purpose.  Slide a small flat head screw driver down until it stops.  Hold it down firmly while unscrewing the drag star.  By doing so, you will prevent the tiny clicker pin and spring from launching into neverfinditagainland.

Lift the washers paying special attention to the order that they came off and remove the shield on top of the bearing.  Most of the time this bearing is just oiled.  I remove it and press marine grade grease into it and check that it is full before re-installing the bearing.

Replace the shield,  brass washers and spring washers in the same order.  Now insert the spring and pin back into the tiny hole on the side of the drag sleeve.  Screw the drag star on part way.  Insert the tiny screw driver again and press down firmly to hold the pin in place while you screw the drag start all the way down to the spring washers.  Remove screw driver.  Apply liberal amounts of grease under and on top of the drag star.  Place the handle washer on top.  Again grease well.  Grease both side of the handle and place on drag sleeve.  Put a big glob of grease on top of the drag sleeve and install handle nut.

You did it!  Just taking this little bit of precaution will prevent costly repairs later.